The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Although athletic and some casual shoes have had patterned soles and/or extended structures on such soles for improved traction on varying surfaces, many dress shoes including women's high heel shoes. High-heeled footwear is footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot significantly higher than the toes. High heels tend to give the aesthetic illusion of longer, more slender legs, which are attractive feminine features and serve as a status symbol. Many industry experts consider high heels as heels ranging from 2 inches to 5 inches in height, though these are unscientific measurements. These high fashion women's high heel shoes traditionally have smooth soles. This is true of both natural leather soles, as well as synthetic soles such as those of suede, rubber or sueded-rubber. Such soles do not necessarily offer optimum traction and on certain surfaces such as wet surfaces, wearers of such dress shoes having such soles often encounter slipping on smooth, wet or slippery surfaces. As such, these shoes are fashionable and provide an aesthetic benefit to the wearer, there are a number of reasons the women often chose not to wear such shoes on certain occasions. These include situations where they may not be practical or where a safety issue may be present. In certain situations, the wearer of high heels may be vulnerable to injury due to unstable ground, slick or wet surfaces, surfaces that include cracks or holes or other types of terrain such as when exposed to common hazards such as metal grates, drains, hole-covered sidewalks, decks having spaced apart wood planks, and/or cracked surfaces. For example, they are often not easily, comfortably or safely worn on any non-hardened surface. Wearers of existing high heel shoes have gotten their heels stuck in various cracks and holes or penetrable surfaces with the result being a loss of footing and potential falls.
Thus, an invention that allows for greater stability with high heels, in addition to anti-slip and anti-abrasion utility would provide significant benefits to consumers and wearers of high heels. The prior art related to various efforts have included adding on an outer extendable layer, cutting an opening in a shoe sole, particularly a leather shoe sole, for the affixing of a rubber insert with a glue or adhesive compound so that the rubber insert protrudes beyond the surface of the sole to provide additional traction. Further, this can also be performed through automated molding of a synthetic sole having the anti-skid insert provided without having to cut an opening in the sole. In such prior art, molds are provided accepting different materials in one or two molding steps for providing an insert of portion of the sole having a higher surface friction than other portions of the sole being molded.
Furthermore, such existing inserts may be viewed as being stylish for athletic shows, but are not view as being desirable from a visual perspective for shows of high style such s women's high heel shoes.
Further, women's high heel shoes have a high or elevated shoe heel that extends downward either towards a heel end or heal tip or cap having a sole portion for the heel that is often significantly narrowed (referred to as a stiletto heal) or relative straight or is a bulky heal (referred to as a chunky heal). While stylish, these elongated heels often cause the wearer to get their heels caught in various manners such as in holes or grates or cracks on the walking surface such as iron grates, and cracks in wood floors, by ways of example. Further, the heels and therefore the shoes are often restrictive as to the surface upon which they can be comfortably and safely worn. However, the production of such soles is relatively time-consuming and labor-intensive as compared to the production of smooth soles and are not often used in women's high heel shoes as they are viewed has detracting from the fashionable image of the shoe.
The inventor hereof has created improvements to the design of women's high heel shoes to address these limitations in the prior art while still maintaining the high heel shoe as fashionable and stylish footwear.